


The Moon's Harvest

by DragonDreamer



Category: Free!
Genre: FarmingAU, M/M, Makotoisafarmer, Sousukeisapoliceofficer, soumako main pairing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:28:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23262481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonDreamer/pseuds/DragonDreamer
Summary: Soumako is the main pairing with side NagiGou and RinHaru. One fateful night Sousuke's car breaks down in the countryside and he meets a kindhearted farmer who immediately steals his heart. Farming AU. Still in progress. The story may become more mature, but for now, it's pretty friendly to most ages aside from the occasional cursing.
Relationships: Hazuki Nagisa/Matsuoka Gou, Matsuoka Rin/Nanase Haruka, Tachibana Makoto/Yamazaki Sousuke
Comments: 12
Kudos: 49





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I'm posting on AO3 so I'm really excited to be involved on this site! I'm open to constructive criticism so please be honest, but considerate. This was my first M/M ship so it is close to my heart :) I hope you enjoy!
> 
> inspiration:  
> http://brickerbeetle.tumblr.com/post/162209350847/constellation-in-a-jar-im-so-sorry-for-getting
> 
> http://brickerbeetle.tumblr.com/post/161907589342/constellation-in-a-jar-yoooooooooo-ok-went-wayyy

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The repairs went smoothly, they said. Should be able to handle the commute for another year at least, they said. We guarantee it!, they said.

All a load of bull-

Clang!

Sousuke Yamazaki pants with the effort to will his car back to health. He is failing miserably, car broken down on the side of the road out in the middle of who knows where. Ok, the town is actually somewhere between Konohana and Iwatobi, but all he can see for miles are fields of wheat. Talk about creepy. He wouldn't have been surprised if an ax murderer suddenly popped out and started chasing him down the dark, empty road.

Calling for help was out of the question too because he was out of range for cell phone service.

Clang!

Sousuke took a moment, praying to whatever force out there for some miracle, before finally giving up on his car, locking it, and starting his walk back up the road. He remembered passing a house a couple of miles back and he wasn't sure when the next one would show up in the other direction.

He could hear the crickets chirping at him, probably laughing at his misery, the jerks. His feet were tired and it didn't help that he'd spent most of the day on his feet handing out parking tickets. Sousuke had joined up with the police because he wanted to feel like helping people, but after his new assignment, he hardly felt like he was making much of an impact on crime rates in the city.

The moon was orange tonight and the stars were especially bright now that he was away from the light pollution of the city. It was comforting to Sousuke in a way. He may be stranded in the middle of nowhere, but he at least got to see something pretty that he didn't usually get to see. He kept his mind busy thinking of the terror he was going to unleash on those lousy mechanics tomorrow while he walked the night road, letting it pass the time faster. By the time he arrived at the house (could it be called a house? Maybe it was more of a shack?). The lights were still on, but when they flicked off, Sousuke quickened his pace to the door.  
He knocked desperately as it bordered on aggressive. "Please don't go to bed yet!" He called, then nocked again, softer because he didn't want to completely freak out the resident. "I really don't want to walk back to my car..." He groaned more to himself. The fatigue was weighing on him and he knew he wasn't going to last much longer tonight.

The light flicked back on and the cop let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god." He breathed. The door opened to reveal a sleepy-eyed, shaggy-headed man wearing glasses and pajamas. He seemed relatively young, though the shadowed lighting made it difficult to tell. The man's green eyes blinked, apparently confused by the stranger's presence. Sousuke wasn't surprised this guy wasn't used to late-night visitors. What kind of idiot would willingly drive out here in the middle of the night?

"Can-uhm-can I help you, Officer?" Sousuke realizes he was still wearing his police uniform (without the parking ticket vest of shame since he had thrown the offending material into the back of his car vehemently after his late shift.

"Oh-uh-yeah. Listen, it's been a really long night. I'm commuting back home from the city and my car broke down a few miles down the road. You guys don't have cell service down here and I'm going to pass out soon. I could really use a spot to crash for a few hours and your phone to call someone tomorrow morning." He explains briefly.

The man is silent, a small, almost imperceptible frown on his lips. Sousuke nearly scowls back but is cut off when the stranger turns around and ushers him in.  
"What's your name?" He asks, his voice a tired sigh.  
"Uh, Yamazaki Sousuke. You?"  
"Tachibana Makoto. You can sleep here." The officer was shown down a small hallway into a simple bedroom. "The bathroom is just across the hall. I get up early, so I'll help you be on your way whenever you get up."  
"I'm an early riser too. When do you usually get up?"  
Makoto's chuckle surprises him enough to warm his cheeks. "Earlier than most city folks." His smile is warm and... almost hesitant? "Do you need anything to drink? I could make you some tea, or just water, or I also have milk-"  
Sousuke cuts off the man with a sigh and a shake of his head. "Yeah, I'm tired and just want to sleep. Hopefully, you won't have to see me in the morning. Night." With that, he shut the door behind him. He stripped out of his uniform and got in the bed without another thought. Well, maybe one thought. He needed a job closer to home. And a new car. He fell asleep thinking about the walk beneath the Harvest Moon.

~~~

Sousuke awoke with a start to the sound of a familiar car engine revving. He sat up, taking a moment to stretch and rub his eyes before standing and moving to throw his clothes on. He made his way to the door just in time for Makoto to walk in and, apparently, he was a vision in a dirty white tank with a plaid shirt wrapped around his waist. A shorter, blond man was next to him joking about something or other. The first thing that struck Sousuke (aside from the light haloing Makoto's figure) was how young the two seemed. Perhaps it was because he had been exhausted, or the fact that the lighting had been terrible last night, but his impression of the kindly stranger hadn't prepared him to confront two people roughly the same age as him. He'd thought Makoto was probably at least 10-20 years older simply based on the style and decoration of the home, being that it was simplistic and old fashioned. It also may or may not have occurred to him that Makoto looked dazzlingly handsome in worn jeans and grease-stained muscles with a bright smile on his face, laughing at some joke the blond one had made. Finally, there was the realization as Makoto's gaze turned to him and fell, as though he were disappointed.

Was he?

"Um..." Sousuke started, struggling for the right words. His thoughts had been all jumbled by the entrance and the confusion of last night and the plaid and the dirty men and the muscular forearms wiping away the grease with a rag.

"Your car is a goner. I'd get a new one when you get home. Or at least, newer than that lost cause." The new guy piped up. He smiled as he approached Sousuke. "I fixed her up as best as I could, so she should be able to get you at least another 50 miles or so, but you should consider other options if you can't afford thousands in repairs."

The officer's eyes widened, "You... fixed my car? I wasn't expecting-I mean-you didn't have to. Tha-"

"Don't mention it!" Blondie beams proudly. "Mako-chan was already working on it when I called and was complaining about some rude guy getting stranded and I was going to stop by today anyway, so it wasn't too much trouble." His smile suddenly turned serious and Sousuke felt himself stiffen, unsure what to make of this guy. "I hope you didn't cause Mako-chan too much trouble, hm?"

"Um-" Sousuke turned to face the man. Had he really been so rude? Well... ok he _had_ shown up in the middle of the night all but demanding a place to sleep. Not to mention closing the door in the face of the host who had only tried to make him more comfortable... crap. He'd been a complete ass. Before Sousuke could even respond, he was being waved off.

"Don't worry about it, Nagisa. Sousuke was going to head out soon anyways." Makoto brushed past him, heading to the kitchen. Nagisa resumed smiling and bopped after the taller man. "Can I get some of Mana's milk to take home with me? I wanted to make ice cream."  
Makoto nodded and dug through the cupboards momentarily before handing him a bucket.  
"Sure, I haven't gotten around to the milking this morning yet. I've still got to fix up the seedling growth on the third plot. That last storm washed a lot of it away."

"You're... a farmer?" Sousuke added, joining the two in the kitchen.

"Yeah..." Makoto raised his brow as though confused for a moment before a thought occurred to him. "You must not have seen it last night since you got in late."

"Still, what did you expect with people living out here?" Nagisa mumbled, moving his hands to his hips. "Anyways. Good luck with finding a new car." 

Makoto nodded and waved, "I've got to get to work. You can let yourself out when you're ready. There are eggs in the fridge if you need breakfast."

"Oh. Ah, thanks."

"Yeah, no problem." He shrugs dismissively before heading out again with Nagisa.

Sousuke didn't stick around much longer. He decided against taking Makoto's food. It just didn't feel right after the guy had already put him up for the night and even fixed his car for him. Sousuke drove away, not at all satisfied with the way the chance encounter had ended.

~~~

As the days passed, the officer's mood had only become fouler and fouler.  
"...have to be rude."  
"I didn't mean to!" He startles out of his thoughts back to the coffee shop he was taking his break at.  
"Woah, Sousuke. Chill." His red-haired companion, Rin, watches him warily, holding his hand up in surrender. The man's expression turns mischievous as he reveals a sharp-toothed grin. "You thinking about farm boy again? Why don't you just go back and apologize? At this point, you're probably more torn up about it than he is."  
Sousuke groans, burying his face in his hands. "He was an angel and I was an ass." He glared at the hot cup of deliciousness in front of him. "You shouldn't have bought me coffee."

"I didn't. I used your credit card, remember?"

"Wait what?"

"Well, you would have remembered if you hadn't spaced out for the millionth time this week. You haven't even asked me about my race you know."

"Sorry, that was rude of me."

Rin smiled knowingly, "Exactly what I was saying before you finally snapped out of it."

"Sorry." Sousuke grumbles, picking at the hot slip on his cup.

Rin shakes his head. "Don't beat yourself up over it or I may never have a proper conversation with you again." Sousuke chuckles appreciatively. "If you want my opinion, go make peace with the guy. You're obviously not going to let it go otherwise."

"You're probably right."

"I'm always right."

"Yeah, fine. So how was your race?"

"Thank you for reminding me! So, my team was neck and neck with the lane next to us and the freestyler..."

~~~

Sousuke was going to apologize. The only question was when. He'd driven by Makoto's house every day since that night. He would slow down, sometimes park, and once he even made it to the driveway before ultimately chickening out and going home. The thought of showing up again terrified him. What would he even say? Thank you? Sorry? That couldn't be enough to make up for his ungratefulness. Not to mention he was quickly getting caught in a vicious cycle of waiting too long and not coming up with an apology soon enough. Rin suggested taking Makoto out for a drink or a nice dinner, but that didn't feel right. It wasn't until two weeks later, Sousuke was getting ready to pull a pan of lasagna out of the oven and he decided to stop tormenting himself. He packaged the dish, picked up a bottle of wine and a salad from the store and drove straight to Makoto's farm, willfully ignoring the voices of doubt in the back of his thoughts.

A knock at the door.

No answer.

Another knock. Sousuke begins to wonder if the farmer was even home. He raises his hand to knock one last time and the door opens. Makoto's expression is a mix of surprise, confusion, and disbelief. He's freshly showered, donning a worn, gray shirt and black sweats.

Sousuke hesitates, unsure how exactly he should begin.

"Did you break down again?"

"No! No-uh - I wanted to see you?"

"Oh?" He raises a brow questioningly and crosses his arms, an invitation to explain.

"I came to apologize." Sousuke holds up the bags of food. "I was a real ass the last time I came around and... and you were more than accommodating. I've hardly been able to think of anything else since and I thought I'd bring you dinner as an apology." He hands over the bags, but Makoto is still eyeing him. Sousuke struggles to understand what's going on behind those emerald eyes. "The-uh- the lasagna is pretty much cooked, but you might want to heat it up in the oven."

Makoto is still giving him an unreadable expression. "Well... I'll leave you alone now. Just, sorry- and thank you for everything." He nodded finitely and turned, heading back to his car. He could end it on that, right? Now he could finally get the hot farmer out of his head. Only to be brought back occasionally... when he was alone... he was a sick man. He lamented internally until Makoto called after him.

"Huh?" Sousuke hadn't heard him right, surely.

"I said you should join me for dinner."

The officer blinked dumbly because the angelic farmer man had most certainly not just invited him to stay for dinner.

"How else will I know you haven't poisoned it?" A mischievous grin plays on his lips and he disappears inside, leaving the door wide open.

Sousuke doesn't deserve his kindness, but the least he can do is share the food with Makoto when he has been so kind as to offer.

"How has your car been holding up? Did you get another one yet?" Makoto makes conversation as he begins unloading the meal and turning on the oven.

"As well as can be expected. I'm looking into a new one, but it's been hard finding something in my price range. I'm trying to find a place closer to the city so I don't have to commute as far. Um-" Sousuke located some glasses so he could pour drinks. "You're really good with cars. I'm amazed you could even get it to run again."

Makoto chuckled, "Nagisa's probably more to thank for that. He knows a lot more than me. His family actually owns the mechanic shop in town. I only know a few things from what my own dad taught me and what I've picked up from Nagisa."

"You knew enough to help me, though, so I'm really grateful," Sousuke interjects. Makoto's expression is warm with a hint of surprise by the declaration and it makes Sousuke's chest squeeze uncomfortably. "Um-so you're a farmer? How did you choose that?" He could feel his cheeks warm but hoped he could blame it on the wine they were drinking. 

Makoto nodded, "Yeah... sort of. Actually, I'm a firefighter here in town too. This is actually my family's home, but my parents and siblings are away right now taking care of my grandparents in America. Someone had to take care of the farm, though, and I needed a break from firefighting anyways."

"Why's that?"

The farmer's expression hesitated before resuming a pleasant grin. "Just... wasn't the right fit. What about you, Mr. Policeman? Commuting between Iwatobi and Konohana doesn't seem to agree with you either."

Sousuke sighed in aggravation, "It's not so much the commute as it is the commute with the assignment. I've been on parking ticket duty since I started working in the city, so it's not so glamorous as you might think."

"Oh, I don't know. You wouldn't rather be caught up in some shoot out-action movie-explosion... you know as I say it, that does sound a little cooler."

Sousuke grinned, "No, you're right. I'm glad I'm not in a constant state of danger... though, I wouldn't be opposed to chasing down an unarmed thief once in a while, you know?"

Makoto shrugged, "If you say so, but if you ask me, you should work on mastering the basics."

Sousuke eyed him curiously, "What do you mean?"

"Well for a protector of peace, you certainly have a taste for drama." His eyes glittered in amusement as the policeman let out a chuckle.

"Fair enough."

~~~~~~~

"Ok, so three cats, a cow, six chickens, two horses, and two dogs?" Sousuke shakes his head in disbelief, "How do you even have any time to farm?"

Makoto's laugh is sunshine with light drizzling rain, but it could also be the wine talking. They'd already gone through one bottle and halfway through one of Makoto's. "It's not as hard as you think. All the animals are pretty easy. It only takes me about an hour or so to take care of them before I start on the rest of the work. It's hard, but it's worth it."

"You're amazing." Makoto's cheeks were very pink as he laughed. Sousuke wondered if he was blushing at all or if the hypnotizing complexion was solely due to the half bottle of wine he had.

"N-no I'm not! You're really giving me too much credit. I'm used to the work because I grew up with it. If you tried it, I'm sure you'd be underwhelmed."

"Oh?" Sousuke raised a challenging brow, "Do you want to put your words to the test?"

Makoto laughed, "What are you getting at now?"

"Tomorrow is my day off. I'll come back and you can put me to work. We'll see if farming really is as easy as you say."

Makoto stared at him for a moment in disbelief. "You actually want to try farming?"

"Why not? You clearly love it. It will be fun!"

"But tomorrow..." Makoto looked around to check the clock. "You wouldn't have time to drive back and forth and be ready to work on time when I start..."

"Aw, you're right. Well, maybe next week. I could get some early rest- what?" Makoto was staring at him intently, his eyes looking through him as though considering something to himself. Sousuke thought his flushed pink cheeks made the expression far too alluring for Makoto's own good. He'd have to remember it for later... 

"Stay the night." The suggestion sent a shiver down the policeman's spine. Sousuke blinked.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You don't have to." Makoto backtracked, averting his eyes. "I just thought- well you seemed interested in seeing what I do and if you stayed here, you wouldn't have to commute on your day off. I could lend you some clothes if you want." His gaze was hopeful like he really wanted to show his new friend how fun his work was. Of course, Sousuke's mind was too far boozed up and in the gutter to appreciate it in the way it was intended.

He groaned in defeat, "I feel so bad making you put me up again. You're too nice. I was so rude." He sighed covering his face momentarily in shame, "Please tell me if I'm bothering you."

"Stop worrying about last time. You already made up for it with dinner. Besides, you're helping me out tomorrow so consider us even."

"Thank you. I'll work really hard."

Makoto chuckled, "You better, or I may keep you indebted for a while."

Alcohol-induced or not, Sousuke's heart fluttered and he leaned forward, struck with the sudden urge to embrace his savior. 

"Careful!" Makoto's sturdy hand landed on the policeman's shoulder. "You're a bit of a lightweight, huh?" Sousuke furrowed his brow, and then realized he must have looked as though he were falling forward for a moment. Good thing too, since this was only their second meeting. He shook his head, trying to gain ahold of himself.

"Yeah, you're right. Here. I'll help clean up." He smiled and moved to clear the table while Makoto packaged the leftovers. They continued chatting idly about where they were from and bonded over how they both swam competitively in high school until Sousuke caught the farmer sleepily rubbing his eyes and realized he was keeping the poor man up too late with his questions.

"I'm getting really tired. I better head to bed. You're sure it's alright if I stay with you?" Sousuke checked again, heading to the guest room. He fiddled with the spare pajamas momentarily, just in case Makoto had realized he was about to allow the same stranger to stay in his house a second time. Instead, Makoto just chuckled lightly.

"For the hundredth time, it's fine. I'm happy to have your help. Goodnight, Sousuke." He waved before heading down the hall to his own room. Sousuke closed the door behind him, trying to calm his fluttering chest. He wasn't sure how he'd ended up in this situation, but he hoped he could repay this guy by helping out tomorrow. He went to sleep, dreaming about what could have been that night of the harvest moon.

~~~

Sousuke was more of a hindrance than a help. 

"Wow! You finished so fast, though... the seedlings should be a bit more spaced... Here, I'll just touch this up. Can you go collect the eggs?"

"The... chickens got out? No, don't worry. I should have reminded you to make sure the door was completely closed... Do you think you could brush the horses?"

"They tried to kick you?! I guess they're still nervous around strangers... Maybe..." Makoto scratched his head trying to think of a better task for his guest.

"Do you have any non-animal chores? I'm pretty sure the livestock want me dead..." Sousuke huffed, exasperated. His mood had only been declining as each chore brought a new failure his way. He'd planted the seedlings wrong, let the chickens loose, chased the loose chickens around to try and catch them, spooked the horses, and many other shenanigans which ultimately ended with Sousuke causing more work for the very man he had been wanting to help.

The angelic farmer offered a sympathetic smile. "That's not true! The dogs love you!"  
"Which is how I spilled the cow's food..." Sousuke sulked. 

Makoto patted the man's shoulder in encouragement. "They're rascals, but they're family. Hmm... the horse feed needs to be loaded into their feed shed, but the crates are almost empty and need to be put back on the trailer. If you want to wait a little bit, I can come help with that after I finish with the seedlings. The crates are a bit heavy."

"That, I can do." Sousuke nodded. Lifting things would be much easier than convincing animals to work with him. Determined, he set to work. He wanted to finish quickly since Makoto was still cleaning up after his mistakes. He worked up a sweat hauling wooden crates back and forth, but after the third crate, his right shoulder started to pinch painfully. Sousuke shook it out, trying to work through it. He only had six more crates and he could always rest and ice it later. He motivated himself by thinking of how relieved Makoto would be to see he could complete at least one of the tasks correctly. Maybe he would even invite him to stay for dinner again after they finished for the day. He smiled to himself, finding his own hopelessness a bit silly.

Makoto rounded the corner to find Sousuke returning from dropping the last crate. His eyes widened in surprise and slight confusion. "You... finished already?" Makoto observed.  
"Looks like just in time too." Sousuke grinned triumphantly, stretching out his sore shoulder. "I was trying to beat you for time."

"Why would you do that?" Sousuke paused, blinking in confusion. Makoto's face wasn't it's normal, smiling vision, but instead his brow was furrowed almost angrily?

"What?"

"Those crates aren't meant to be carried by one person. Why didn't you wait for me when I asked you to? You could seriously injure yourself and then what would you do?" The farmer's face grew red as he ranted.

"Woah, woah, I'm fine." The policeman attempted to console him, but Makoto would have none of it.

"Fine? I just saw you-" Makoto clapped his hand on Sousuke's shoulder, his expression falling as the blue-eyed idiot winced in pain.

The pair were both silent, not knowing how to move on from such a moment. Sousuke cautiously watched Makoto's expression. He was clearly upset, but it couldn't just be about his mistake. Was he... regretting something? Sousuke frowned, feeling as though he had overstepped again.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize."

Makoto shook his head tiredly, his eyes not meeting Sousuke's, but looking as though his thoughts were elsewhere.  
"It's not your fault. I should have been more clear. You should probably head back and take care of your shoulder. Using it more could make it worse. There should be ice in the freezer if you need any." Makoto sighed before heading back to his chores.

Sousuke said nothing and returned to the house to gather his things. He supposed he had quite a drive ahead of him.

~~~

"So he just left?" Nagisa frowned. Makoto had returned to work after scolding Makoto, but the regret gnawed at him until he finally decided to check on the man. He returned to the house, only to find Sousuke and his car missing.

"Yeah... I mean, I thought I was clear at the time, but I think he thought I wanted him to leave. I totally overreacted and probably made him feel worse. He already seemed to be embarrassed at failing all the other chores." The farmer blushed, burying his face in his hands. He'd visited Nagisa's family's mechanic shop after finishing his chores for the day to lament over his outburst.

"He was acting carelessly. You weren't wrong to correct him." The blonde mechanic shrugged, wiping his greasy hands before joining his friend. "What got you so angry? Were you thinking of... Takeru?"

Makoto nodded sadly, "Yeah, it brought up something like that." He sighed. "Oh well, I suppose it would have been inconvenient to have a friend who lives so far away anyways."

Nagisa giggled, "We've already got Haru for that. Don't worry too much. You can just apologize if you ever run into him again."

"You're right. Thanks." Makoto said, though he still felt the pang of disappointment in his chest. Sousuke had been trying really hard to help out, however unsuccessful he had been. It had almost been endearing to see him fail and try and fail and try. At least he was persistent. Makoto wasn't sure why he was still holding onto the guilt so strongly. Perhaps he was getting too lonely living in a place like this. After all, his best friend was off chasing his dream while Makoto tended his own wounds. 

Nagisa patted his friend's shoulder encouragingly. "Oh!" He remembered something, "Speaking of Haru, I talked with him today. He's coming back next week. He finished his race a little while ago and has just been finishing some training and is coming back for a break! He said he tried leaving a message at your house, but your voicemail was full."

"Ah, I keep forgetting to delete old messages." Makoto groaned, "I'd wondered why he hadn't called in a while, but I just figured he was busy. It'll be nice to see him. It's been a few months now, hasn't it?"

"Mhm, about five I think, when he comes back we should have a barbeque! And watermelon! Oh, and maybe..."

~~~

"Explain yourself." A short, red-haired woman glared at Sousuke when he showed up on her doorstep with an ice pack wrapped around his shoulder.

"I thought Rin..." Gou Matsuoka's unflinching gaze told him she wanted his confession in person.  
"I was lifting crates." He averted his eyes shamefully to the stained hallway carpets.

"And?" She didn't skip a beat, crossing her arms stubbornly.

"I was trying to impress someone..." He easily towered over her, yet he felt as though he kept shrinking in comparison.

"Because...?"

"I'm an idiot." He sighed in defeat. The woman's expression softened and she offered a smile.

"Yes you are, now come in." She chirped.

Sousuke entered the small, surprisingly simple studio apartment after her. There was some furniture and boxes along the wall that were still waiting to be unpacked. She began rummaging through a couple of them. The bed was more of an air mattress with sheets and bedding thrown over it. The couch looked old and worn. He knew she had just finished school, so it wasn't all that surprising, but he began to take note in case any of his colleagues needed to get rid of any furniture. "I thought you moved in a few weeks ago. What's with the boxes?"

"Travel PTs only stay so long in a place. I'm moving again in a little bit for my next assignment, so I didn't see the point in unpacking just yet. Anyways, take a seat on the couch while I find my tools. Rin said you were having trouble with overhead movement?"

"Yeah. Work said I should get it checked out. But I've been spending most of my money on gas and Rin said you were back in town." He shrugged, complying easily.

She huffed in offense, "You think I'm free labor? I have student debt too, you know."

"What about the friends and family discount?" He pouted childishly.

"'Brother's best-friend' is stretching it thin, don't you think?" She rolled her eyes but brought over her tools to the couch to get a better look at the arm and shoulder. "So is he cute? Rin said he's a farmer." Her grin turned dangerously mischievous.

"Gou!" Sousuke blushed in horror.

"What? You get hurt over this guy and you think I'm not gonna ask? Rin didn't tell me anything and I haven't seen you interested in anyone for a while. Was it the muscles? Farmers have to be really strong to-"

"Stop! Please stop- I'll tell you. It's really nothing." He groaned.

"Great! Just fill me in while I do the tests. Move your arm like this..." She beamed happily and Sousuke wondered how such a scary person could seem so innocent. He filled her in on how he'd met Makoto and made the worst first impression only to fail his chance at a better second impression.

"So he kicked you out?"

"Yeah... It wasn't my finest moment. I guess I won't be seeing him around anymore."

"Well... you have to." Gou's brow furrowed in confusion.

"He probably doesn't want to see me." Sousuke sighed, looking out the window. The view was a bit of tree and The nice weather seemed ironic in comparison to his depressed mood.

"But he'll want his clothes back, right?"

"His... fuck!" Sousuke smacked his forehead in realization. "I forgot."

"Because?" Gou chuckled.

"I'm an idiot." He grimaced. How was he supposed to make up for his mistakes now? Maybe he'd just leave it on the porch... But would that be ruder than awkwardly talking with him for a minute? The angry expression on Makoto's face still haunted him. 

"Yes you are, now let's figure out what you're going to say to him-"

"Ow!"

"Yep, you've got shoulder impingement." The woman's expression was far too cheery when delivering bad news.

~~~

Sousuke stood awkwardly on Makoto's doorstep. He'd decided not to wait long to return Makoto's things. He already drove past the man's house almost daily, so adding Gou's constant teasing meant he wouldn't have been able to ignore it for long. Still, he was half hoping the man was busy out back, so he wouldn't have to deal with the awkwardness that was his situation. Recalling that unfortunate moment, he hesitated to knock. He repeatedly went back and forth between his car and the door until finally, he managed an audible knock.

His heart pounded, the seconds seeming to stretch farther and farther until he heard the sound of footsteps coming from the other side of the door. And just like that, Makoto was before him again in the same sweats and worn gray shirt as five nights ago. The fabric must be really soft.  
"Sousuke!" He sounded surprised. _Of course he's surprised. He kicked you out. You should have just left the clothes with a note._ The policeman scolded himself.

"H-hey..." Sousuke averted his eyes nervously. "Uh, I just came to return the clothes you lent me. They're washed. Sorry I forgot to return them sooner. And," He cleared his throat, which was only growing tense with discomfort. Somehow, he managed to look back to meet the farmer's gaze again. "And I wanted to apologize for last time. I should have listened to you. Sorry."

Makoto grabbed the bag, smiling like this wasn't the most frustratingly uncomfortable situation he's experienced. "Please don't apologize. I overreacted. I'm a little... sensitive when it comes to those sorts of things. I'm so sorry if I gave you the impression I wanted you gone. That wasn't my intention." The angelic man laughed at Sousuke's dumbfounded expression. "I thought I just sent you back to the house for ice and rest, honest! Oh, speaking of which, how is your shoulder doing?"

Sousuke blushed, suddenly embarrassed by the wave of new information. He'd misunderstood everything, apparently. Where did he go from here? He'd been so set on apologizing and leaving. He hadn't planned for this.  
"Um- It's- uh -well, I mean-hm." He gathered his thoughts, "It's been better. I'm seeing a physical therapist."  
Makoto's eyebrows shot up. "It's that bad? I'm sorry, I should have been more insistent or at least explained-" His expression was so sweet and worried, Sousuke could tell he was actually blaming himself.

"Whoa, what are you apologizing for? I was the stupid one, remember? Really, I was just trying to show off too much. I should have stopped when it started hurting. I've hurt it before, so I should have known." 

"Why did you need to show off?" Makoto cocked his head in confusion, and Sousuke's instincts warned him to abort.

"I-that's a good question- you see, the reason is-is because I-uh- well, I'm a man."

"A man...?" 

"Yes. A man. With... masculinity issues... and I... push myself to overcompensate... for my-uh my..."

"Your..." Makoto looked like he was trying to follow, but wasn't sure if he wanted to know where it was going.

"Bisexuality. I'm gay- I mean bi. I mean, sorry. You didn't need to know that-not that I mind people knowing- I just mean that you let me stay at your house and didn't know-not that it should make a difference, but if it does-or did-or uhm-" Makoto held up a hand to stop Sousuke's quickly spiraling excuse.

"It's alright. I get it."

Sousuke's stomach sank. "You... do?" _He knows. He knows you're a sick pervert and he wants you off his porch._

"Yeah. I mean it's not uncommon for little towns like ours to have traditional and conservative ways of thinking. Don't worry, we are very accepting of all kinds of people."

"But..." Sousuke felt his soul shrinking away slowly into the abyss.

"If I had known sooner, I still would have let you stay, though given your first impression it was a bit of a stretch." He chuckled.

"I see..." 

"The townsfolk handled my coming out surprisingly well too. Though I think they always suspected me and Haruka since we were younger."

"Haru?" Wait, did he just say...

"Yeah, me and Haru have always been inseparable. I guess it was only natural that we found out that way, you know? He's actually coming next week for a visit." He smiled brightly, clearly excited.

"Ah. I see." Somehow his oblivious rejection only made the pain worse.

"Yeah, so you really don't need to worry about that kind of thing. Thanks again for helping out and bringing the clothes back. I'm glad I could apologize or at least explain myself."

"Of course. I'm sorry for the misunderstanding."

"It's really nothing. Anyways, you should drive safe. And feel free to stop by and visit any time."

"Thank you."

"You too!" With a bright smile and a wave, Makoto returned to his home and Sousuke found himself walking down the street until he realized his car was in the opposite direction. The lights were already off by the time Sousuke made it to his car. 

~~~

"Sousuke! That goes in the box with the kitchenware! And Rin, throw me that packing tape." Gou commanded her soldiers as easily as she always had. The boys moved obediently, in and out of the apartment as they filled the rental trailer with the youngest's belongings.

"Who wants a drink?" Rin droned, grabbing himself water from the fridge once they'd finished taping the last box.

"Me please!" Gou chimed.

"Same." Sousuke agrees.

The late fall heat made the beverage all the more refreshing after they congratulated one another after a day's work.

"By the way, Sou, there was this guy at work yesterday - different station - but totally your type: cute, lean, cheery. I didn't talk you up too much because I know you'd be embarrassed, but he _did_ say that he was looking for some guys for an indoor soccer league, so I let him know you played and..." The redhead grinned as he handed his friend a slip of paper, "maybe you'd like to contact him."

"What? Rin, I told you I was going to set him up with a girl from school!" Gou pouted.

"Why would he date a girl in debt when there is already a cute guy with a career?"

"Guys." Sousuke chuckled, taking the paper with a small smile. "It's dating. It doesn't have to be exclusive if you're just meeting the person." He pocketed the slip. "Besides, I've been lining up a few dates of my own, so we are far past the worrying-about-Sousuke's-rejection phase. I mean it's been a month and you both are still more torn up about it than I am."

"You were just-" Gou started, but Sousuke interrupted her.

"Nope. Let it go. This is the last we're talking about it. Ok?" He made pointed looks at the siblings until they admitted defeat.

"Fine..." The girl sighed. 

"Good, now let's head out, I'd like to beat traffic if we can."

"Oh, are you bossing me around now?" She raised a brow in amusement.

"Oh I'm sorry, did you want to drive?"

"I'm up!"

"Wait, guys! I thought we were grabbing lunch before you left." Rin scrambled to his feet.

"No time, man. Sorry. Just invite that swimmer guy you've talked about. Isn't he on break too?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't live close..." Rin groaned, closing the door behind them. "Maybe I'll just grab popcorn and a movie."

"Fine, but don't watch the new Marvel movie without me. You always spoil everything." Sousuke grinned, giving his friend a quick hug before the Matsuoka siblings could say farewell. Rin just rolled his eyes before giving his sister a big hug.

"Don't skip meals. And if you ever need one of us, don't hesitate to call, alright?"

"I know, I know. You too. Work hard tomorrow." She let go, but ended up giving him one more hug before hopping in the passenger's seat. Rin chuckled and waved to them as they drove off. Sousuke saw him head down the sidewalk eventually from the rearview mirror. 

"Alright, so-" Sousuke started.

"I call DJ!"

"Dammit!"

Gou's taste in music alternated between nostalgic disney music, hardcore rap, and electronic dance music, which she bounced along to and encouraged Sousuke to participate in. The policeman eventually gave in and belted out the lyrics alongside his childhood friend to the Mulan classic, Make a Man Out of You. The pair chatted about Gou's new job, Sousuke's impending date, and their opinions on Rin's love life until Sousuke passed the familiar house. He averted his eyes, focusing on the road, but completely missing what Gou was saying to him.

"It's not like he's abandoning us, geez." She huffed, looking out the window. 

"Hm? No, wait- I'm sorry. It's um... well..."

"You missed the turn!"

"No, not that, what happened-"

"Yes you did. We were supposed to take a left. Make a U-turn! Hurry!"

Sousuke could already feel his stomach knot uncomfortably, but he complied.

"Sure..." He said, turning at the next opening. His mind was working fast, trying to rationalize this new information. Was she going to be living in the same town as Makoto? Then again, it was hard to tell with these roads, they might end up a couple towns over even though it wasn't too far away... Not that he had any reason to avoid that man... What if they ran into him? Just casually driving down the road with his boyfriend? Or... would Gou run into him frequently? Small towns meant everyone knew everyone, what if they became friends? She wouldn't say anything... would she? 

"Stop!" Sousuke slammed on the breaks, his heart racing. "What the hell, Sou?" Gou huffed, before getting out of the car. "Put her in park, please!" She called from outside. He looked around, realizing they had come to the front of the motel. Gou had run inside to check-in and before long, she was back to show him where to put her things. 

The room was small, but then again, the therapist didn't need much space. Her boxes remained mostly packed, with the exception of clothes and a few other items finding a new home. Her stay would only be for a month or so, so she insisted on not creating more work for herself in the future.

"Whatever you say." Sousuke ceded, holding his hands up in surrender. He was too tired from the day to put up any sort of argument.

"Ah, you do learn." She chuckled before waving him back out the door. "Now, how about we head to the grocery store to grab something for dinner?" 

"Ok, but you drive this time. I'm DJ."

"Fair enough."

Two classical guitar pieces later, they arrived at a quaint market. Bins of fresh melons and fruit were outside with hand-painted signs to let the shoppers know what was on sale. The air conditioning inside was a relief from the scorching sun and the pair made their way through the produce section. They decided on fried rice for dinner since the summer vegetables were on sale and were making their way through the isles when they were stopped in their tracks.

"Sousuke?"

Said man felt a shiver run down his spine when the familiar farmer's voice came from behind him. He could feel his heart pound faster in his chest. Of course Makoto was here. He lived in town. _Please don't let him be with his boyfriend. Please don't let him be with his boyfriend. Please don't let him be with his boyfriend._  
He turned around to find the green-eyed angel with an unfamiliar man. His eyes were bright blue, which contrasted his dark hair and pale complexion. His expression was indifferent and uninterested. Sousuke hated him instantly.

"Ah, Makoto. It's been a while." He greeted awkwardly.

"It has. I thought you must have found a place in the city. What brings you to Kinoseki?" The farmer's smile is warm and his gaze turns to Gou expectantly.

"Ah, this is Gou. I was helping her move here today-"

"Nice to meet you!" She held out her hand cheerily, greeting both of the men. "I'll be working here as a physical therapist, so please give me a call if you're injured or recovering. I also know a lot about personal training, so if you're looking to get stronger, I have services for that as well." She handed each of them a card, not missing a beat. 

"You look familiar." The quiet one finally spoke, taking the card.

"I was here a little while ago for an interview, so you might have seen me around then. Though, I also have heard I've got a common face-"

"You must be Haruka." Sousuke interjected, his distaste for the man only seems to grow every moment he spent in his presence. Something about his impenetrable gaze just got under the cop's skin.

"I'm so sorry! I should have said something sooner. This is my friend Haru." The flustered Makoto explained, his cheeks a light pink blush. Sousuke hated to think that -  
.  
.  
.  
friend?

A sharp pinch to his side brought Sousuke back to reality. Haru's hand was being offered to shake. He took it robotically, still trying to debate in his head if "friend" could also mean boyfriend in this instance. After all, it was the safest introduction when meeting new people. 

"Makoto, we don't want to be late." Haru noted quietly to Makoto.

"What are you two up to tonight?" Gou asked since Sousuke wasn't offering any conversation whatsoever.

"Oh, um, we're putting a date together of sorts."

Date? 

Sousuke could feel the ache in his chest start to return. Was it possible for his heart to actually tear out of shock? Maybe Gou would know... Then again, he really shouldn't be shocked. He'd known all along and somehow, standing there in front of them was making the reality so much worse. 

"Yes, dates are hard to get together. Sousuke's been planning a lot lately too. I always tell him he's putting too much thought into it, but he's the type to be a very doting boyfriend. I find it refreshing, actually! Haha, well, we wouldn't want to keep you from planning your date, so we will see you around. It was so nice meeting you!" Gou was pulling Sousuke away before he could even comprehend what was happening. He vaguely recalled mirroring a wave and a smile and the next thing he knew, there was a blast of cold air in the freezer aisle.

"What're you doing?"

"We are getting your favorite ice cream and a happy movie and frozen pizza."

"Oh. I'm-"

"Don't even think about finishing that sentence."

"Yeah. Good call." Sousuke sighs, leaning his head against the cold freezer door.

"He doesn't seem all that great to me."

"You haven't had dinner with him. Or seen the farm."

"Fair enough, but hey." She made her friend look in her direction. "I bet his boyfriend doesn't make lasagna like yours. Speaking of which, you better pack me some next time you come visit, alright?"

Sousuke offers a half-hearted chuckle. "Yeah, no problem." He appreciates her efforts to make him feel better and grabs both of their favorite flavors from the freezer before they head to the check-out counter.

~~~

Makoto goes about setting a nice table and chatting idly with Haru, who was busy cooking dinner, and Nagisa, who had unknowingly walked into a blind date with Kisumi, Makoto and Haru's friend.

"Kisumi should be here in a bit. The place he was picking up the cake from accidentally switched orders." Makoto explained. Nagisa shrugged disinterestedly and sipped from his wine glass.

"Do we have to wait for him? I worked hard today and I'm _starving_." The blonde groaned, his mouth salivating at the delectable smell wafting in from the kitchen.

"I really think we should wait just a little longer..." Makoto chuckled, racking his mind for a way to distract the impatient mechanic. "Hey, I ran into Sousuke today!"

"Who?"

"You know Sousuke. You met him once, tall, blue eyes, he tried to help out on the farm once."

"Oh! Mr. Awkward. Right. He came to visit?"

"No. His girlfriend is moving here apparently. She's going to work at the physical therapy clinic for a bit."

"Ah, so Mr. Hiroto is finally getting some help? That's good."

"Yeah, she also does personal training, so I was suggesting that Haru work with her during his time off. He's been a lot more competitive these days."

Nagisa laughs, craning to peer into the kitchen. "Haru competitive? But he's always said he 'swims to be close to the water' or something like that. What changed?" He smiles widely as Haru brings out a plate of hors d'eurves. His expression is mildly annoyed from the teasing, though the pink tinge to his cheeks is unmistakable. 

"Nothing has changed." He grumbles, shooting Makoto a warning glance. The farmer happily ignores his best friend in favor of keeping Nagisa distracted.

"Haru met someone." Makoto smiles easily despite Haru swatting his hand away from the appetizers.

"I did not-"

"His name is Rin and they met at a training camp."

"Makoto..." Haru's blush has spread to his ears and he looks about ready to strangle the said man.

"Haru! Why didn't you tell me? I thought we were friends!" Nagisa cries, jumping up to pester his friend for more details. "Tell me, tell me!"

Haru sighs, pushing the blonde bother away. "It's nothing. He's just a competitor. He's the kind of person who is friendly with everyone."

"You know Haru doesn't really bother with getting to know the other swimmers. What did you say on the phone last week? Racing Rin makes your heart flutter?" Makoto takes a sip of his drink, eyes full of mischief

"I didn't say that! I just said that racing him made me think of swimming in a whole new way."

"I know what you said." Makoto grins, earning him a glare.

"Oh my god, Rin showed Haru a Whole New World!" Nagisa gasps.

"Right?!" Makoto cheers his friend. Haru leaves the room with a roll of his eyes. "Wait! Where are you going?"

"To burn your dinners. No more date for you."

"Haru-" Makoto chokes.

"Date?" Nagisa furrows his brow in confusion.

"Ah-uh-no?"

Nagisa's eyebrows shoot up and he points an accusing finger. "That's why you wanted to wait for Kisumi! This isn't a friendly dinner! No wonder it's all so fancy... But why wouldn't you tell me? Neither of you ever tell me anything." He sighs, crossing his arms. "I swear, ever since me and Rei broke up, both of you have been walking on eggshells when it comes to your love lives. I want to hear about it, you know? I want you both to be happy-"

Nagisa is cut off by a knocking at the door.

"Ah, that must be Kisumi." Makoto smiles, hoping things can finally settle down.

"Yeah..." Nagisa looks at the door for a moment, then slaps Makoto on the shoulder. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go get your man!"

"Huh?" Makoto blinks. Did he think...? "Um, no! That wasn't- I mean..."

"Makoto you've got some good qualities, but confidence isn't one of them. Buck up, buddy. You can do this." Before the farmer can protest, he's being pulled from his chair and pushed to the door before Nagisa runs to the kitchen to help Haru. Too embarrassed to fess up to his scheme now, he decides to go along with it. He casts one last desperate look towards the kitchen but he knows his best friend has long since left him to fend for himself. He is alone.

Kisumi is confused when he is greeted by his friend's crestfallen face. "Hey, Mako- woah ok, I'm sorry I'm late, but could you at least be a little happy to see me?"

"Sorry. There's been a mix-up on our end too-"

There's a crash coming from the kitchen followed by Nagisa loudly expressing his wide range of colorful expletives.  
~~~

"Your ankle should be swollen for the next few days, so be sure to elevate it above your heart when you lie down and stay off your feet as much as possible. Once the tissues have calmed down a bit, We can work on strengthening your surrounding muscle structures to help with stabilization. Some of your ankle ligaments overstretched so there's going to be a bit of laxity. As for your wrist..." The new red-haired therapist explained Nagisa's plan of recovery to him as he lamented over his injuries. It looked like he would have to cut back on work for a bit...

"... So tell your friend he should be more aware of others in the kitchen next time." She smiled easily, jotting her notes down.

"To be fair, my other friend and I had riled him up some." Nagisa shrugged. "He was withholding crush details." The blond grinned devilishly.

"Ah, that's always annoying." She nodded knowingly, thinking of Sousuke in comparison. Gou stood up and headed to the door, signaling the end of their session. "Thank you for coming in today, Mr. Hazuki. I'll see you in a week." She was about to close the door when his voice stopped her.

"Sure, Doc. Oh! I've met your boyfriend, by the way. He stayed over at my friend Mako's place a couple of times."

"Call me Gou and I'm sorry, who's boyfriend? You don't mean..."

"Mr. Policeman. What's-his-name. Um..." Nagisa wracked his brain trying to remember. "Mako ran into you both at the grocery store? Said something about his girlfriend being the new PT in town. Is that not you?"

"No. Well, yes, but- I mean. He thinks we're dating?"

"Are you okay, Doc?"

"Yeah. I was just surprised is all. This really is a small town."

"You're more of a city girl, aren't you?"

"Not necessarily." She shrugs, "Um, well for starters Sousuke and I are definitely not dating. He and my brother were close friends since childhood and he was just helping me move that day. But um..." She clears her throat, "Haru and Mako... they seemed close too."

"Oh? Taken an interest?" Nagisa smirks, raising a brow. Her expression turns into a blush as though she was caught trying to get information. "Well if it's about Haru, you're not exactly his type-no offense- he's already got someone else in his heart anyways. If you're asking about Makoto, well he is single and mingling, but I don't really see you two being well suited for each other either. No offense."

Gou gapes at the patient, blushing furiously. "T-that was way too presumptuous! And rude! I'm not even trying to- but- you don't even know me-and-how am I not supposed to take offense to that?" 

Nagisa laughs outright, highly amused by the therapist's reaction, "Y-your face! Hahahahaha I'm s-sorry ahahaha." He clutches his aching stomach.

"Jerk!" Without thinking, she swats his arm furiously. "I was asking for a friend! Just wait until I get my hands on you next week!"

"Uh-huh, sure, a _friend_." Nagisa half-heartedly defended against her attacks.

"No, really-" Gou clamped her mouth shut before she spilled Sousuke's secret. Fighting her fury, she took a breath and addressed the mechanic cooly, "I'm not discussing this anymore. I will see you next week for your appointment, Mr. Hazuki. Good day." And with a flip of her ponytail, she was gone, leaving the mechanic smiling after her.

"Ah, that was fun." He chuckled before getting up far too fast and cursing at his sensitive ankle.

~~~

"Prepare yourself to bow before me in reverence of my awesomeness."

"Gou, I think you're exag-"

"No, no. Just wait, Sousuke. Cancel your plans because you're visiting me this weekend and buying me something nice."

"Will you just say what it is already?"

"Sousuke, friendship favors of this magnitude require setting the tone for the awesomeness of my deeds."

"I'll hang up."

"You'd regret it."

"Ok, ok. Your greatness rivals if not exceeds the majestic-ness of a goddess. Oh, great Gou, please allow me the favor of knowing what I am praising you for."

"Because I'm nice, I will forgive the sarcasm. Fine. Sousuke I have stealthily infiltrated the inner circle of your perfect man, brutally interrogated-"

"Gou please don't tell me you hurt anyone over setting me up."

"I didn't! He was injured to begin with. Don't interrupt."

"That didn't-"

"-Brutally interrogated the most infuriating man I have ever met, to secure for you this precious information. Your Mr. Perfect, farm boy by day, lover boy by night, Makoto Tachibana, is, in fact, _single_." Gou held out her hand in "ta-dah" fashion, expecting a gasp, an 'oh!', a cough or something in response to this groundbreaking news, but was instead met by silence from the other end of the line.

"Well, I suppose people who are dating are still technically single-"

"Oh my god, Sousuke, you are killing me! How are you so dense sometimes? He isn't seeing _anyone_ , okay? He and Haru are just friends. I talked with Nagisa, the demon mechanic himself, and he told me very clearly that Haru is with someone else and Mako is ripe for the picking. Now is your chance, so get your ass down here next weekend because they have a festival at the start of the winter season and it is _the_ perfect opportunity for you to ask him out and I will be damned if you continue to waste your time on those flops you keep convincing yourself to go on dates with."

There's another stunned silence and she's about to yell at him more when he finally responds, "S-should I bake you a cake or something?"

"Bring me some macarons from that bakery I like in the city and make me your crepes next time you visit, and I'll consider us even."

"Deal. Wow, you weren't kidding."

"I know! See, the buildup was very much called for."

"Gou!" He suddenly exclaimed.

"Sousuke!"

"What am I gonna wear next week? Is plaid too cheesy? He did notice my uniform that one time, but that would be too much. But maybe it's actually really casual?"

"Oh, you're right. Let me do some recon. I'll send you some ideas later this week. Don't worry, I'll be your small town coach this week."

Sousuke chuckled. "I'm happy to have you in my corner."

"Of course. Now go get your beauty sleep. I better not see bags under your eyes when you get here, alright?"

"Yes, coach!"

~~~

Many phone calls, a haircut, and a shopping trip later, Sousuke was on his way back to Kinoseki. Gou had insisted on meeting up with him there so she could get in line for tickets early, but he wished she could have waited at least a bit longer for him. He got confused by her directions and ended up parked on the side of the road trying to get a call through to her. She wasn't picking up, unfortunately, so he was forced to wait for a call back. The sky had just barely begun to turn colors and he'd prefer not to drive side roads in the dark with his bad navigation skills.

He signaled to passing cars that he was alright, just waiting for a call, though Sousuke was surprised so many people were willing to stop and lend a hand. Perhaps this was a small town courtesy? No one ever seemed to have time in the city.

Another car honked and he waved them on, resigning himself to watching the skies deepen in color over the grassy fields. The car honked again, ruining the moment. Again, Sousuke waved them on and checked his phone to see if Gou had called him back yet. No luck. The car honked loudly a third time and Sousuke gave in, going up to the car to explain.

"I appreci- oh! Makoto!" Said man chuckled at Sousuke's surprised expression.

"Please don't tell me this one has broken down now too!"

"Ha! No, this one's fine. I just got a little lost. I was headed to the town's festival tonight, but my navigator isn't picking up her phone." He gestured to his phone with a shrug.

"Ah, so that's why you're looking nice! I'm actually headed that way, so you can just follow my tail. 

"That would actually be helpful, thank you!"

"Any time."

Sousuke did as Makoto suggested and they were able to walk up to the festival. His expectations were already being outdone at this point.

"You know, police officers are supposed to be the ones people go to for directions." Makoto chuckled, teasing his slightly taller friend.

"Thankfully it wasn't part of the officers exam. I'd have picked a different career." Sousuke chuckles.

"What would you be if not a police officer?"

"Hm... well actually being a policeman already was my second choice, actually..."

The pair continued chatting easily, innocently unaware to the spying eyes not too far behind them.

"I'm telling you, Mako isn't showing him special interest. That's just how he is with everyone. Trust me, half of our junior high class had a crush on that poor oblivious boy." Nagisa nudged the incredibly conspicuous younger Matsuoka. The two were haphazardly hidden behind a food stall.

"And I'm telling _you_ it's fate! If I hadn't accidentally left my phone at the candy apple stand, this would haven required much more meddling."

Nagisa rolled his eyes, "Fate, schmate. People either fit together or they don't. Makoto is like a puzzle piece others keep thinking they fit with, only to be ultimately disappointed. Not that he's doing much better at finding his piece either."

"Hey, don't discount Sousuke just yet just because _you_ have some vendetta against love." Gou scolded, ignoring the blonde's doubts.

Nagisa gaped at her audacity. "Excuse me? I have no vendetta. I just know Makoto."

"Ha. _Really?_ Because you sure seem like you've got some kinda pessimistic chip on your shoulder."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Do not."

"I bet that's why your friends are nervous to talk about their crushes with you. Don't want to catch your bitter vibes." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"You know for a doctor, you're very unprofessional."

"I'm off the clock, buddy."

"Whatever, this is stupid. I'm going to go hang out with Makoto. Later, Gou."

"It's Kou!" She growls before snagging his arm. "And you can't just interrupt them! Give Sousuke just another half hour. Please? He really likes Makoto."

"Oh no, I'm _pessimistic_ remember? Might as well commit to my part, right?"

"Ok, ok, I take it back, just don't interrupt them!"

"Fine! I'll get popcorn, but I'm done spying with someone as annoying as you! You are far too involved in your friends' love life." He jerked his arm back and stalked away.

"I- j- jerk!" She huffed, crossing her arms and wishing she had popcorn to throw at him. She was about to search for Sousuke and Makoto again, but realized she lost them... She groaned in defeat. Now what?

~~~

"Now try this. Best mitarashi dango in Japan. Perfect soft and chewy texture and they make everything from scratch." Makoto held out the sweet treat for Sousuke to take a bite. The policeman complied, his cheeks tinting slightly at the fact that Makoto had actually fed him without batting an eye. Perhaps the handsome farmer was just that comfortable with people? Sousuke felt like he was so lucky to get to see Makoto in his element like this. It was clear from the excited expressions and detailed conversation that he loved this town festival and was enthusiastic to share all the hard work and care that went into putting it together. Sousuke found himself actually listening intently as well. He enjoyed learning more about Kinoseki traditions and residents.

"Mmhm delicious." Sousuke confirmed with a smile. "I'm glad to have you as my inside man. I'd literally be lost without you." He winked conspiratorially. Makoto paused for a moment before bursting into laughter. 

"Oh my god haha, that was so cheesy hahaha. It was great, haha really. You said it with such a straight face! haha" Sousuke felt his chest swell in victory.

"Did I wink at you with a straight face? Sorry, I meant to use my bi one." Sousuke waved a hand in front of his face and winked again with added flare.

"Hahaha I'm dying!"

"Hi dying-"

"Don't you dare!" Makoto shoved more dango in Sousuke's face. "If you get started on dad jokes, I'm going to get a stomach cramp. My cheeks are already hurting." He massaged said pinkened cheeks for emphasis. Sousuke complied, taking another bite and nodding in defeat. "Fair enough."

"Anyways, if you have time, we should check out the games at the far end. They've got hand-crafted masks you can win or classic bobbing for apples, or even-" A patch of familiar red hair caught his attention. "Oh! I see your girlfriend. Dr. Gou!"

Sousuke also caught his friend freezing in her tracks, before awkwardly turning around to face them. Her smile was wide and forced. Obviously, she hadn't meant to interrupt them.

"Sousuke! Makoto! I-I'm so glad I ran into you. I-uh-er-lost my phone so I'm sorry I couldn't get back to you." She chuckled nervously. She was obviously a terrible liar.

"No worries." Sousuke said.

"That's terrible. Do you need help looking?" Makoto frowned in concern. Sousuke felt his chest clench at how sincerely considerate this man was.

"Oh! Um, no-no. I actually just found it so..."

"Oh good. Well, you should join us. We were about to head to the games area and I know you had planned to meet up with Sousuke. I'm actually waiting for my friend, Nagisa too. I should probably call..."

"No need!" Gou interjected suddenly, earning her two confused expressions at her outburst.

"I already met up with him." She explained.

"Then we could all-"

"It's a date. I was gonna tell you, Sousuke-but-um- completely forgot! I'm so sorry. But-uh- you don't mind enjoying the festival with Makoto, right?"

"Well, no-"

"A date?!" Makoto seemed flabbergasted, then looked between the two curiously.

"Y-yes?"

"We're not dating! I meant to say. I think you got the wrong impression." Sousuke amended, finally able to clarify.

"Oh, I'm sorry... I also thought Nagisa would have told me..."

"That's my fault!" Gou piped up. "Because he's my patient right now... it could be seen as inappropriate. I didn't want to get in trouble..."

"O-oh. I see... We shouldn't keep you, then." Makoto still had a thoughtful expression but waved goodbye as the young PT scurried away into the crowd. 

"Are you alright? You seem really surprised." Sousuke started, hoping their lies weren't completely obvious.

"I'm fine, just-ok-this is the first date Nagisa has had in a year. He's been hung up on his ex for so long, he has never been interested in starting to date until now I guess. And I'm so silly I assumed you two were dating. You must be close friends."

"Yeah, since childhood. I'm best friends with her older brother, actually."

"I see now, sorry for the misunderstanding." Makoto chuckled before looking thoughtfully into the crowd once more.

"I guess that makes us even hm? You know since I mis... are you ok?"

"Hm? Gosh, sorry. Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking is all. I'm glad for Nagisa. He deserves to move on." He offers a quick smile before shrugging. "I've got a bit of moving on to do for myself at the moment too, I guess. Anyways, let's head over to the next game. I still haven't finished explaining how Mayor Hibiki got her nickname, "the HiButcher." 

Sousuke nodded quietly, listening to Makoto's stories. He clearly loved a lot about the sleepy little town and it made Sousuke curious just what it would be like to be where everyone knows everyone. Sousuke wasn't necessarily a particularly private person, but that didn't mean he wanted everyone shoving their nose in his business. Though, Rin and Gou certainly acclimated him to the feeling. Another thing kept gnawing at the back of his mind. What did Makoto mean when he said he had 'a bit of moving on to do' for himself? Was he heartbroken over someone? Was it that beady-eyed little Haruka? They were just friends, but was it because Haruka was an idiot?

"-which is how we got the tradition of letting a pig run loose in town hall every year."  
Sousuke chuckled softly, watching a group of kids run around with sparklers in hand, while he paid a vendor for a try at the goldfish game. "Hey, Makoto?"

"Yeah?"

"I was just thinking, earlier you said you had some moving on to do, but you didn't say why." He observed, trying to look casual as he fished, but the glint in his eye made it clear he was very interested in the answer. His mouth turned into a frown as he game.

"Oh... that. Em.." A blush crept onto Makoto's cheeks as he watched the vendor pretend not to be listening. "Do you want to grab candy apples first."

"I'm not hungry, but I'll walk with you if you want one." He shrugged, his shoulders shrugged in defeat. He's wanted to win a cool whale keychain for Makoto, but alas it was not his lucky day.

"Ok." Makoto directed him away from the booth before sighing suddenly. "Sorry, just it's a little personal."

"You don't have to tell me-"

"No, no. It's fine, I just-um- wanted a little more privacy." He explained, finding an abandoned bench for them to sit and talk. "I don't know how much you know about the farming industry in Japan, but a lot of us usually can't support ourselves off the farm alone, so we have multiple jobs. In my case, I'm also a firefighter part of the time."

Sousuke nodded silently, trying to put his firefighter Makoto fantasies on the back burner at least until the end of their conversation.

"Anyways, a year ago, I was really close with one of my co-workers and... well, we had also just started dating. He was someone who always pushed himself harder than he should have. But, we were out on a job together. In the next town over, there was a really bad fire in an apartment building and we were both working on evacuating residents." Makoto paused for a minute to clear his throat. "He'd been feeling sick that day but kept insisting he was fine to work. In the end, he didn't make it." Makoto bit his cheek, averting his gaze to the ground. 

Gingerly, Sousuke put a hand on Makoto's shoulder, staying silent. "And I'd told him that morning to just call in sick-sorry I really don't want to get too into it. Just, ever since, it's taken me a while to bounce back from it. I found it really hard to continue working after that and decided to start helping out on my family's farm. They're all away right now. My younger siblings are living with my grandparents up north because my mother got a job overseas and my father is going to help support her. I told them I'd hold down the fort and Ran and Ren are old enough to help my grandparents out while attending high school."

The pair was quiet for a moment, allowing the gravity of his words to settle. Sousuke recalled the sudden anger that had flashed across Makoto's expression when Sousuke had nearly hurt himself trying to help move boxes. Had it been because of what had happened in the past? 

"It's been over a year, but I suppose I'm still recovering, just taking my time with the farm and doing some odd jobs here and there. I started working at the fire station again, though only about once or twice a week. Everyone's been really understanding, thankfully, so I'm trying not to be too much of a burden."

"No one thinks of you like that." Sousuke interjects with a frown.

"You think so? Thanks." Makoto chuckles, but Sousuke wonders if he's forcing himself. The grin doesn't quite reach Makoto's eyes.

"I mean it, Makoto. You've never once been a burden to me, and I'm sure the rest of the town feels the same. The way you talk about your friends, I can tell everyone here cares a lot for one another. You shouldn't doubt them unless they give you a reason to." Sousuke holds Makoto's gaze while they speak and the farmer is caught off guard, his cheeks tinged pink in slight embarrassment.

"Y-you're right, sorry." Makoto's shoulders relaxed.

"Don't apologize either." Sousuke scolded Makoto, but the farmer shrugged, smiling more honestly this time.

"Alright! Gosh, so bossy."

"Do you mind?" Sousuke smirked.

"Heh, no." Makoto chuckled, nudging the man gently. "It's oddly comforting."

"Good." Sousuke nodded, standing from the bench and holding out his hand, "Shall we head back? Candy apples on me."

Makoto pressed his lips together in a smile, "Well, when you make an offer like that..."

~~~


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is shorter but more NagiGou heavy (my apologies) These are just some scenes I wanted to get through with them before moving on with our best boys :)
> 
> Basically Gou is an awkward innocent while Nagisa is uncharacteristically vulnerable before reverting to his ruthlessly teasing ways. Sou is a good big bro stand in :)

Nagisa sat next to a fountain away from the majority of the festivities. He stared up at the twinkling stars that were visible despite the nearby lights. He was probably annoying the couples that wanted to sneak away to the romantic fountain for some alone time but he didn't really care.

Gou didn't have to look for long thanks to the size of the celebration, but she took her time approaching the mechanic tentatively.

"Do you have something to say or are you going to fidget over there until morning?" Nagisa called from the fountain.

"I-"She started to rile up, but her anger quickly subsided, "I was going to join you eventually." She muttered under her breath, making her way over to sit next to Nagisa. "Listen, I'm sorry if I got worked up earlier and said some things without thinking. It was thoughtless of me. I think I hit a nerve with you and I honestly didn't mean to." She tucked a stray hair away behind her ear.

Nagisa sighed, "I know you didn't. I obviously was getting too riled on my end as well. I'm sorry for being so rude earlier."

"I know you weren't being too serious. At least, seriousness doesn't come naturally to you." She teased as an olive branch.

"Oh, really?" He stuck his tongue at her, making a silly face. Gou giggled, returning the gesture in kind.

"I'm also aware I can be a bit intense sometimes. Especially when it comes to the people I care about. I'm sure my brother could complain for days about how I used to follow him around like a duckling. Sousuke's been around in my life for a while too because of him and he's like a second brother. I just want him to be happy, but I can be a bit more involved than necessary, I'm sure."

"I don't think it's so bad. Honestly, I'm a bit jealous. I feel the same way about my friends, but Haru's too reserved to share much and Makoto is such a sweetheart, he never wants to trouble anyone. Since I had a pretty bad break-up about 8 months ago, I've felt a bit more distanced from them." He shrugged, smiling but averting his gaze. 

"What happened? I-if y-you want to tell me-that is... you don't have to..." She backtracked, embarrassed.

Nagisa chuckled, "No, it's fine. I just," He sighed, "Sorry, I haven't talked to someone about this in a really long time. I was dating this man, Rei, and we were really happy together. He was insufferably serious and passionate about things, but in a good way and for a while, things were great. Things changed during college. We were both in science-based majors. I was studying engineering and he was pursuing chemistry. It had always been his dream to work in research for pharmaceutics. We spent less and less time together and after we graduated, he got an amazing opportunity to follow that dream, but it meant he'd have to be overseas and he took it without even talking to me about it." Nagisa paused for a moment to collect himself. "I was supposed to start an internship with JAXA after I graduated, but after Rei told me the news we had a long, rough fight for a week, and in the end, we broke up. I was such a mess after it all, I had to give up my internship and came back home to work with my family. Everyone's been so understanding so far and I could never complain, but... well, it's like people are still walking on eggshells around me and it feels so isolating sometimes." He let out an aggravated sigh. "How long is it going to take for things to go back to normal?" He groaned, looking away and scratching the back of his head before putting on an annoyingly bright smile again. "Anyways, sorry for getting so serious. You're a better listener than I expected. I'm normally am not this moody. I guess it's just a... weird night for me." He finally turned to look her in the face and was completely caught off guard by her expressions. Her cheeks were nearly as red as her hair and her eyes were wide and glistening. Her mouth was agape and searching for words. Before he knew it, she was turning away and moving her hair to cover her face.  
"Are you alr-"

"I-I'm fine. I was just-um-so touched." She was mumbling through her hair, prime teasing material that Nagisa could hardly resist.

"Oh, really? Do you normally get so pink like that? Like a tomato? How long were you holding your breath for?" He chuckled, poking at her shoulder in an attempt to get her to face him properly. 

"Stop it!" She whined childishly. 

"Are you really going to hide behind your hair after I opened my soul to you? I'm hurt!"

"That's not it! Let it go."

"Eeeehhhh? Come on, comfort me properly." He chuckled, shaking her shoulder lightly. 

"Would you not-" She swatted his hand away, but in the process, lost her balance in the edge of the fountain and topped over. Nagisa panicked, trying to help steady her, but the pair both went rolling into the water. 

"Owww..." Gou groaned. She must have landed funny on her hip when they fell. Nagisa landing on top of her certainly didn't help. She propped herself up on her elbow while she tried to clear her wet hair off of her face.

"Are you ok?" Nagisa's concerned voice came from a lot closer than Gou was expecting. She suddenly felt warm, rough fingers on her face trying to help clear her hair out of her face. Nagisa's moonlit face came into view. His blond hair was dripping down his cheeks and neck. His brow was knit in concern she hadn't seen before. She was struck by the realization of how handsome he was and the thought made her stomach clench uncomfortably.

"Yeah m'fine." She muttered, tucking back her hair and averting her gaze immediately. "Get off."

"O-oh right! Sorry." Nagisa scuttled to a stand and held out his hand to her. "Here,"

"No, thanks. I'm good." Gou huffed, hurrying to a stand. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, trying not to shiver from the cold like a wet dog in the cold night.

"I was just trying to help you up." Nagisa scoffed, baffled by the sudden cold shoulder.

"Yeah, well, I didn't ask for your help." She refused to meet his gaze again, preferring to focus on ringing out her soaking clothes. 

Nagisa huffed, waving his arm back in the direction of the festival. "Whatever, look, there are some bonfires not too far where we can dry off."

"I'm just going to head back to my room." Gou rubbed at her arms unsuccessfully as she started hurrying in the direction of her car.

"W-what? Seriously? You can't just leave like that. It's freezing. You'll catch a cold. At least dry off first!" Nagisa hurried after her, dumbfounded by her behavior.

"N-no. I'm fine. I'm just going to head home."

"Hey! Seriously, what's going on?" Nagisa grabbed her wrist.

"Nothing!" She shouted at him tearing her arm away. His blue eyes were shocked by her sudden outburst. Gou's own eyes were wide in surprise at her own volume. "I-I mean..." She backtracked, her face turning bright red as she noticed the gazes of people around them. Without another word, she took off running back to her car.

"G-gou!" Nagisa called after her, but it was too late. He groaned in frustration, looking up at the dark night sky. Did they know what had just happened? One second they were bonding and the next, he's realizing her eyes are a really beautiful reddish-brown and then she's yelling at him and running away like he'd- like he- hell if he knew! "Agh!" He shook the thought away and shuffled off to warm up by a fire. If she wanted to freeze to death, then who was he to stop her?

~~~  
Makoto and Sousuke had successfully acquired some delicious candy apples and were sitting on a bench next to one of the bonfires to keep warm. 

"How can you say that? My animals are kind, gentle creatures. Just because you had a rough first day-"

"They hate me. There's no point in denying it, Mako. I swear that horse was... glaring..." Sousuke was trying to hold his laugh together.

"It's because they're incredibly sensitive creatures, they can feel your nervousness." Makoto nudged him. "The dogs too. That's why they were so friendly, they wanted you to feel better."

"Either way, I think it's safe to say I am not suited to work with animals."

"You should come over to try again one of these days. This time, I'll teach you properly."

"O-oh?" Sousuke could feel the flutter of hope in his chest, or perhaps it was Mr. Fujiwara's spiked cider... "Then should we make it a da-d-"

"WOMEN ARE CRAZY." A wet Nagisa came sloshing next to them suddenly and splashed down next to Makoto. Makoto's eyebrows shot up in surprise and concern, while Sousuke was seriously contemplating throwing the man into the bonfire.

"What happened? D-did your date with Dr..." Makoto's voice trailed off as he remembered he wasn't supposed to know that piece of information. "...Dr. waaater balloon not go well?" He finished lamely but smiled as if everything he said made complete sense. Sousuke bit the inside of his cheek because damn, Makoto was an adorably terrible liar.

"Where's Gou?" Sousuke cleared his throat.

"She just LEFT." Nagisa threw his arms up, exasperated. "Ok, I get it. It was my fault that we fell into the fountain. A-and she might have gotten hurt a little-"

"Hey, what did you do to my best friend's sister?" Sousuke's protective "big-brother-stand-in" senses started kicking in. Makoto stuttered, putting his hands between the two men, hoping to diffuse the argument before it happened. "Are you sure you want to keep talking, Nagisa?"

"I didn't do anything! We were bonding and then it was an accident. I was worried too! I checked on her. I tried to help her up, warm her by the fire-"

"Are you sure you don't want to just stop talking now?" Mako offered hopelessly.

"She didn't even have a scratch anywhere. A-and she seemed fine when she all but sprinted back to her car. I tried to help! She wouldn't so much as look at me." Nagisa shook his wet, shaggy hair and tried to squeeze some of the water out by the fire.

Sousuke cursed, "I'm going to check on her. Mako, can you text me directions on how to get back to the hotel?" He began gathering his things and searching his pockets for his keys.

"Of course. Let me know how it all goes if you can?"

"Um, sure. I'll... call you later?"

"If you can." Mako smiled, "Drive safely, ok?" Even given the situation, Sousuke couldn't help but melt a little at Makoto's concern.

"I will. Um, you too." He grinned, offering a little wave as he headed out.

Makoto sat back down next to the distressed mechanic and placed a comforting arm around Nagisa's shoulders. "So... we need to work on your tact."

"Ugh." The blond dropped his head with a big sigh. 

~~~

When Sousuke arrived back at Gou's room, she was already in her pajamas and drying her hair with a towel. 

"Hey..." Sousuke prompted gently.

"I don't want to talk about it." She rolled her eyes, flopping on the bed and rolling the covers around her to make herself into a blanket burrito.

"Ok. We don't have to talk about it." Sousuke spoke calmly, kicking off his shoes and lying next to her calmly. "We can just... sit here in uncomfortable silence."

"It's only uncomfortable if you make it uncomfortable."

"Ok." He agreed, turning the television and flipping through the channels absentmindedly.

"He pushed me into the fountain!"

Sousuke turned the television off.

"Ok, well, technically it was an accident, but he was teasing me because I was embarrassed and then we fell in I hit my hip weird and it was fucking cold and..." She blushed as she covered her face with her pillow. "Sou, something's wrong with me." She whined from the pillow.

"Nothing's wrong with you." Sousuke assured her, pulling the pillow away. "Then again, you were trying to suffocate yourself over a guy."

"No! It's not like that... just I kinda had this moment where I... wanted it to be like that, which is so wrong because we had just been bonding over how he's been dealing with getting over his ex-boyfriend!"

Sousuke raised his eyebrows in understanding. "Oh! Ooohhhh....."

Gou groaned in agony. "I'm so messed up."

Sousuke chuckled, patting her head through the soft fabric. "You're not messed up. I promise. There are worse things you can do than feel attraction towards someone. Trust me. I'm a cop."

"I guess, when you put it like that... I don't know Sou, I'm not, like, used to this. I mean I haven't really dated much and I'm flipping out the second I feel something towards someone?"

"The flipping out is normal. And, you've been really focused on your school the past few years, but... is that really the reason why you haven't dated much?"

The blankets shifted so Gou could peer out through the sheets. "What are you implying?"

"Nothing specific in particular. Just that I know you're a brilliant student and maybe could have afforded some more time to enjoy yourself that you gave yourself. Maybe... because being that vulnerable with a person is a scary thing for you?"

"Are you saying I'm too scared to date? Are you crazy?" Gou sat up, ready to smack her friend.

"Hey! I'm just saying that opening up to people is really intimidating! And maybe... you're more used to having others open up to you? You help take care of the people around you. That's your nature. You're always looking out for me and Rin, and you're very capable of taking care of yourself. But, sometimes we've worried that you're going to make yourself lonely if you only ever rely on yourself."

"Psh! What? Me. Lonely? Who has the time for that?" Gou grumbled, " _You're_ the lonely one."

"Yeah, I am a little, but I'm working on it." He smiled knowingly. Gou was silent for a moment but relented and unfurled herself from the blanket cocoon. 

"I know I'm not great at opening up to people and... maybe... that's affected my relationships." She admitted softly, taking a breath. Sousuke squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. 

"It'll be fine. Don't doubt yourself too much, okay? I'm sure Nagisa will understand... or maybe it will be something you guys can laugh about later?" Gou responded with a doubtful look. "Ok, well you'll be leaving in another month or so anyway, won't you?"

Gou sighed, "Yeah, true. I guess I should apologize tomorrow." She flopped back on the bed. "Did I ruin your date?"

Sousuke chuckled, "Of course not. Nagisa did. He splashed down next to us right when I was going to ask Makoto on a date."

"No..." Gou tried to stifle her giggle.

"Yeah! I wanted to toss that punk into the bonfire myself! Forget about apologizing, he deserved it." Sousuke joined in on the laughter as well.

~~~

The following day, Gou visited Nagisa at his family's garage. It had taken her a minute to ask around, but eventually, she was directed to the back of the shop where the blond mechanic was tinkering with someone's beat-up truck. He wore the typical mechanic onesie with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and grease stains spotting his hands and forearms. Gou couldn't help but regret choosing to wear her white pants today.

Gou cleared her throat to get his attention, but Nagisa didn't turn around. She tried again, but louder, "AHEM."

"What? You can't even bother to address me properly now?" Nagisa scoffed, still not bothering to turn and face her.

"Come on, I came to apologize. Please don't make this harder for me." Gou groaned, moving to stand closer in Nagisa's line of sight. The mechanic eyed her outfit briefly before responding.

"Very bold of you to wear white pants in a car repair garage." He noted with a smirk.

"I hadn't really thought it through."

"Clearly."

"Do you always have to be so antagonizing?"

"Do you always try and drive well-meaning people crazy?"

"I'm not trying to drive anyone crazy!" Gou practically shouted, turning some heads on the other side of the garage and earning some chuckles from Nagisa. "I-I really wasn't trying to be a jerk yesterday, I promise. Can we please talk so I can apologize?" She emphasized in a whisper.

Nagisa considered her for a moment, but eventually nodded and motioned for her to follow him out back. There was an outside break area set up with a table and some chairs next to a water dispenser. Nagisa leaned against the wall while he focused on rubbing away his grease stains with a rag. "Ok, what do you have to say to me?"

Gou leaned against the table and crossed her arms nervously. "I wanted to apologize. Could you at least look at me? Thank you." Nagisa complied, locking his blue eyes with hers for a moment.

Gou took a breath and uncrossed her arms. "I came to apologize for my behavior last night. You opened up to me sincerely and I not only didn't respond at all to your honesty but ended up making a scene and embarrassing both of us." She averted her gaze momentarily, unsure if she should continue. Nagisa's gaze softened and he waited patiently for her to say more. "I-uhm-I..." She could feel the temperature in her face rising and she fought to keep her emotions in check, "I was at a loss as to how to comfort you and I've been told I'm not really good at opening up to others. I-ahem- I don't really have much experience dating or being in love and couldn't think of a way to properly respond. I was embarrassed. A-and w-when we f-fell -uh- uhm-I- uh-" She stammered, her eyes looking anywhere but Nagisa as her face turned red.

"I'm sorry about that. The fountain thing was my fault. I didn't mean to hurt you or put you in an uncomfortable position." He interjected.

"Uncomfortable position?"

"Well, yeah, I landed on you and was all up in your space for a bit. I shouldn't have pestered you to the point that we fell, but I was worried I hurt you when we did, so I'm sorry too."

"O-oh. Thanks, Nagisa."

"Thank you too, Gou."

The pair managed to smile at each other for a moment before Nagisa broke the silence with a mischievous grin. "So you've never really dated anyone before? I mean, I can't say that I'm surprised..."

"I hate you." Gou got up and started making to leave.

"What? I was kidding! Hey, I still have my appointment with you on-" Nagisa's attention was suddenly caught by the very obvious black grease stains on the back of Gou's pants. "Uuuhhhh let me walk you out for a second!" The mechanic quickly began undoing the top part of his jumper so he could take off the long sleeve shirt he had on underneath. 

"What are you doing?!" Gou's horrified face turned beet red as the shirtless mad man approached her. Normally, she was enthusiastic about assessing and gazing upon muscles, but Nagisa had caught her completely by surprise.

"Just hold still for a sec, will you?" Nagisa rolled his eyes before swiftly tying his shirt around the young woman's waist before putting the jumper sleeves on again. "Woo! Chilly. Sorry about your pants, but you really should have chosen different ones." Nagisa patted Gou's shoulder, "I'll see you at the next appointment, Doc!"

"You-****! Yeah, ok." Gou muttered to herself before showing herself out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sousuke and Makoto make plans over the phone and Sousuke and Rin are good friends :) kinda long overdue and short, but this is where I'm at right now. Hope everyone is having a nice holiday!

**Drinks later?** Sousuke's phone buzzed with a text from Rin. Sousuke had the day off anyway and had been watching Netflix for the majority of the morning after his run. He hadn't spoken to Makoto since the festival. After everything that went down, they both seemed to be busy. Gou was returning to her usual self and already complaining about Nagisa making a habit of annoying her during their appointments. Rin, on the other hand, was growing more and more irritable lately. His temper was shorter and he seemed to be fighting more with the swimmer he was "talking to." Meaning, he was taking up more of Sousuke's time because he needed someone to let off steam with. Sousuke didn't mind, of course, but he could feel his window of opportunity closing with Makoto with each day he continued to do nothing about it. Why hadn't he called again? Why had he become so shy all of a sudden? In a moment of determination, Sousuke ignored Rin's text to look up Makoto's number. A second later his phone was ringing with an incoming call from his favorite farmer. Sou nearly dropped his phone, he was so surprised.

"Y-yes? I mean- hello." He answered. There's no way he could have known, but Sousuke could almost feel that familiar smile on the other end of the line.

"Sousuke! It's been a while. How have you been?" Makoto's cheery voice came from the other end of the line.

"Mako, I'm doing pretty well. Busy, as usual, but I'm not complaining." Sousuke's lips were already curling into a gentle smile.

"I'm glad. I wanted to call after the whole thing at the festival. It sounds like things have been sorted based on what Nagisa told me, but I wanted to hear it from your end as well."

"Oh, yeah, Gou is back to complaining about Nagisa as usual." Sousuke chuckled, "Thanks for asking."

"I wish I'd called sooner. I don't know why I didn't."

"It's fine."

"I know, I just..."

Sousuke waited patiently for Makoto to put together his response.

"I wish I'd called sooner. I'm starting to get used to having you around, ironically." Makoto's little laugh sounded light and cute to the policeman.

"You missed me?"

"You and your stupidly silly dad jokes apparently. I was talking to the Hibutcher the other day and-well-she made the same joke and it made me think of you. Anyways, that's beside the point,"

Sousuke didn't care about the point, he wanted to listen to Makoto talk more about how he'd been thinking about him too.

"... the point is that I was wondering if you're going to be in the city the next couple of days?"

"Hm? Yes. Why?"

"I'm actually going to be in town for the weekend with a friend. We were gonna get a room for the night, but he's hoping to visit someone, so I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to catch up with you and learn or thing or two about this big city life you speak of. It'll be fun! We could grab dinner or drinks or whatever they do around there."

"You act like you don't know what people in the cities do. I know you went to college not far outside of Tokyo." Sousuke chuckled.

"I know, but the city slicker/small town hic thing we have going is kind of fun, no?"

"I can't argue there..." Sousuke bit his cheek, trying to curb his enthusiasm. Maybe he'd get a date after all. "I'm more than happy to show you around. Are you coming Saturday or Sunday?"

"Saturday. Does that still work for you?"

"Yeah. I have a few errands in the morning, but I should be free around 2 pm. Just text me where you're at and I'll come to pick you up when I'm done."

"That works. Haru and I were going to spend the morning together anyways and he was going to meet up with his friend in the evening."

"You're coming with Haru?" Sousuke grimaced. The sound of that man's name still felt unpleasant to the cop's ear.

"Yeah, did I not say before?" Makoto's voice sounded slightly confused.

"Oh n-no, I must have been thinking you had meant Nagisa when you said friend earlier." He recovered, fiddling with a stray string dangling from the hem of his shirt.

"Oh, um, my mistake, then. Haru said he needed to visit a friend from his competitive swimming connections and since I don't often get excuses to expand my horizons, I thought I'd tag along. But it works out since you're there and available! So, just hang out with me so I don't have to third wheel with my friend!"

"Oh, he's meeting with a special someone?" Sousuke didn't bother to fight the smirk growing on his face. 

"He'd never admit it, but I can tell he really likes the guy." Makoto chuckled. "Enough, that I already know watching them together is going to make me want to cringe. I've been single for so long now, the happy couples are starting to piss me off, you know?" Even when Makoto cursed, his words didn't hold any malice. Sousuke smiled to himself and wondered how the man had such patience.

"I'll have to make it a nice date, then." Sousuke chuckled before catching himself.

"You better!" Makoto laughed, clearly not taking Sousuke's words seriously, letting the policeman die a little inside in both relief and disappointment. "Hey, I have to go. I think one of the dogs is getting into the plants, but I'll see you Saturday!"

"Right-" The other end of the line hung up and Sousuke sighed, flopping down onto his couch, accidentally bumping his shoulder on the way, making Sousuke curse loudly. But only a moment later he was up and bustling around his apartment. Makoto was coming to the city! He was really coming! This was Sousuke's chance to make a romantic impression and he was not going to waste it. The policeman immediately went about cleaning his apartment frantically while making a mental list of any supplies he might need: wine, or maybe coffee... or was Makoto a tea drinker? Maybe he should just get everything. Also, the pillows on his couch were looking sad. Maybe he should get more?

His buzzing phone brought him back to reality. **Please! First round on me tonight?** Rin pleaded for a drinking companion again.

**Yes. Second round on me if you help me clean up my place for the weekend.**

**I'm too busy cleaning mine this weekend, but I'm sure Ao would be willing to help if you ask.**

**No, he's too nice for his own good. I can't.**

**Fair enough. I feel like chicken and beer. Let's meet at the usual place at 8.**

**See you there.**

~~~~

A few drinks mixed with a well-timed bet and a darts game later, Rin agreed to help Sousuke clean his place if Sousuke helped with Rin's. Sousuke, also drunk, simply nodded in agreement and the best friends shook and drank on it. 

Cleaning Rin's apartment was much more stressful than cleaning Sousuke's. Partly because Rin had roommates to work around. And partly because Rin was a nervous wreck. Sousuke hadn't seen him like this... ever. Probably the closest was back in school right before the swimming competition where a recruiter had come to watch him. 

"Sousuke, you don't understand!" Rin would wail, folding laundry on the couch while Sousuke fluffed the pillows. "He already lives far away and if we're going to make this work, he needs to fall in love with the city the way we have so that eventually, we can move in together." 

Sousuke's eyebrows shot up. "You're moving in together?"

"What? No! I'm just saying maybe... eventually... you know. If things go well." Rin brushed off his comment, turning his head away while he folded the towels with razor precision.

Sousuke smirked, hugging the pillow to his chest. "Last time you guys met up, you said it wasn't _that_ serious."

Rin sighed. "We... we're not. Honestly. I don't know why I'm so worked up. It's just," Rin plops on the couch, "I just feel this crazy connection with him. Like we understand each other without having to speak sometimes. Or... like I'm always so excited at the chance to just train or compete or just-I don't know- learn more about him." He shakes his head, grinning, "But at the same time, he has this whole other life wherever he's from and the way he talks about his friends and family, I wonder if he ever considered making our relationship a priority one day. I don't know if he feels the same way about me." He sighs heavily, "That's why this weekend is really important and has to go perfectly. Because I want to tell him how I feel and I'm fucking terrified, dude." Rin's gaze is unfocused, far away and Sousuke feels for him.

Sousuke places a gentle hand on Rin's shoulder. "I think it's safe to say you are in pretty deep, man." He grinned, "But I've got your back for better or for worse, so if he's enough of a jackass to not see how great you are, then you call me and I'll arrest him." Sousuke's face is so serious, Rin pauses for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Oh my god! You're too much, Sousuke." Rin cackles, wiping his eyes, "You don't need to go that far. Maybe scare him with the sirens or something. Just grab me some ice cream along the way, yeah?" Rin nudges him before returning to his folding.

Sousuke salutes Rin before returning to his chores as well. Between the two of them and the ever-generous Ao (Rin's roommate who just stopped by to pick up a couple of things for the weekend before he left to visit his parents), both Rin and Sousuke's apartments were ship shape in no time. The duo celebrated with pizza and a movie as suggested by Rin.

"Hey, Rin?" Sousuke asked between bites of his pizza. Rin hummed in acknowledgment before shoving a handful of popcorn into his mouth, "What you mentioned before about wondering if he'd ever considered putting your relationship first; you're concerned about him wanting to live here, but have you thought about compromising your life on your end?" Sousuke asks curiously. The thought had stuck with him since his friend had brought it up and made Sousuke consider his non-relationship with Makoto. After all, Makoto had his life elsewhere and Sousuke had his here. If things went well, could he really imagine moving out to the country? Helping with the farm every day? Working as a police officer in a small town where everyone knew everyone and his biggest job would be solving the cow tipping incident at Old Man Jenkins's farm? To be honest, he never imagined that kind of life for himself.

"I think, " Rin starts tentatively, "I'd be open to talking about it if he felt the same way towards me. Maybe further down the line if the relationship gets serious enough to be 'official' or whatever."

Sousuke scoffs, "What? You guys have a 'crazy connection' but you haven't made it official yet?" He smirks at Rin's flushed cheeks.

"Shut it!" Rin whacks Sousuke with a pillow. "That's what this weekend is about. If it does go well, then maybe I'll ask him to be my boyfriend."

"Sounds like a plan, Casanova." Sousuke comments dryly before grabbing more popcorn. 

"Yeah, yeah. Just watch the movie, will you? I like the part where they jump off the roof in slow motion." Rin turns his attention back to the screen, but nudges his friend with his elbow with a smirk on his face.

Sousuke liked Rin's answer. That the conversation could be had between two people when they like each other enough to consider compromise. He wondered if he and Makoto could get there one day...

~~~~~


End file.
